Billfold



- July 15, 1947. e. STANLEY B I LLFOLD Filed 001;. 9, 1945 INVENTOR STMM! ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 15, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v BILLFOLD Leopold G.Stanley, Maplewood, N. J.

Application October 9, 1943, Serial No. 505,621

1 Claim.

. This invention is a novel billfold, or pocket receptacle of the kindwhich has one or more long pockets to carry paper money or the like, andis composed of leather or analogous limp material, and closes by foldingor doubling endwise into a compact form and is readily openable foraccess to the money bills, and usually with accessory pockets forcarrying tickets or other small fiat articles.

The general object of the present invention is to afford a billfoldwhich is of strong and durable structure, compact and of improvedconvenience in use. A particular object is to providea billfold of astructure wherein the corners, near the ends of the long bill pocket,are of improved arrangement and strength. A further object is to providean efficient billfold structure which is convenient and economical inmanufacture, and which presents a sightly appearance, free of unfinishededges. Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will beexplained in the hereinafter following description of one or moreillustrative embodiments. To the attainment of such objects andadvantages the present invention consists in the novel billfold and thenovel features of structure and arrangement herein illustrated ordescribed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a face view of a leather blank of a form suitable for themanufacture of the billfold hereof, and preferably consists of'a singleintegral piece of leather of designated conformation and structure; theblank being shown in its original or fully open condition excepting thatthe lower one of the righthand side sections is shown upfolded uponanother section, but its original disposition is shown in dot-and-dashlines.

Fig. 2 is an interior face view similar to Fig. 1 but with both lefthandand both righthand sections completely upfolded, into their finalpositions but not yet there attached.

Fig. 3 is a similar interior face view of the completed billfold,including the elements shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and an additional elementor bridging piece extending across the general hinge line, and with asuperposed small interior pocket added at the lefthand side, and alsowith an inserted object occupying a righthand pocket.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the section line 44 ofFig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the section line 5--5 ofFig. 3.

Fig. 6, showing a modification, is a view similar to the lower lefthandportion of Fig. 1, illustrating a somewhat difierent'form of structure;

while Fig. 7, on an enlarged scale, is a view similar to the upperlefthand corner of Fig. 3, but showing the modified corner structure ofFig, 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, these illustrate a billfold composed ofgeneral left and right sections foldable together about a centralvertical hinge line w, and consisting essentially of three layers A, Band C all formed preferably from a single integral flat leather blank.As in the original blank the three layers may be described as follows.The first or outer layer comprises a lefthand section A and a righthandsection A mutually continuous across the transverse hinge line w, thislayer eventually forming the outer wall of the long bill pocket and ofthe billfold. A top marginal band consisting of continuous left andright integral sections D and D is adapted to be folded down about afirst fold line :1: upon the first layer AA, and to be securedadhesively there, in a manner that will appear by comparing Figs. 1 and2, thus to provide a finished top edge a: to the completed billfold, anda narrow width of interior margin, the lower raw edge of which becomesconcealed by other elements.

The second or inner layer of the billfold comprises the lefthand sectionB and righthand section B integral with the outer layer alon thefoldline y. Like the first layer the second is of the full length of thebillfold, whereas its end sections each terminates short of the centralhinge line w, so that interference is avoided with the easy closing andopening of the case about such hinge line. For their main extent howeverthe inner layer sections are of slightly less vertical width than theouter section or wall, so that the margin strip DD shows above them, butwide enough to overlap and conceal the lower edge of the downfoldedmarginal strip.

The third or intermediate layer comprises the opposite end sections Cand C" integral with the second layer along the foldlines z and z andspaced apart or with a gap so as to be clear of the hinge line andfacilitate opening and closing; and the sections CC preferably extendendwise to the full length of layers A and B, as shown, thus to becaught and held by the stitched seam.

This assemblage of the three layers A, B and C, when'folded up in themanner shown in Fig. 2, and stitched around as in Fig. 3 provides,first, an upwardly opening full length bill pocket, between thesectional layers BB and CC and the first or main layer AA, and, second,twoshortlength inner pockets, each provided between a second layersection B or B and a third layer sec- 3 tion C or C, and these pocketsopening toward the hinge of the billfold.

The stitching to attach the elements together and complete the billfoldis very simply provided by a continuous seam tuv extending up along theleft end. at t, connecting the elements A, B and C, and thence along thetop at u including the tabs G and G and marginal band DD, and thencedown along the right end at u, connecting the elements A, Band C.

An advantageous corner construction is shown, referring to the upperleft and right corners of the billfold. It is noted that the second orinner 1ay-' er BB is slightly narrower than the main or outer layer,other than at the corners, but is wide enough to overlie the lower edgeof the top marginal band D, which lies turned downand, ad-

hering upon the outer layer or wall, thus in conjunction with a bridgepiece to be described covering and concealing the lower edge of themarginal band. The main or billpocket is more readily opened byhaving-the outerlayer or wall slightincisions being cut into one of theend sections C or commencing at af'point on the foldline z or z andextending thence to'the end of the section'C or C, thus producingnotches in the sections C and C which later become concealed andproducing tabs G and G on the contiguous portion of the sections B and Bof the inner layer. These'tabs are of such-extent that when the ele'ments are folded up as in Fig. 2 each of the tabs reaches fromthe foldline 2 or z outwardly and upwardly to the extreme corner of thebillfold; in

other words the width ofeach tab G and G is the same as the distancebetween the parallel fold lines a and cc. Each tab conforms to the endof the oblong billfold, and -is shown in Fig. 3 as extending for a shortdistance along the upper edge, in other words around the substantiallysquare corner, so that each tab is securely fixed and'held by thegeneral peripheral stitching of the-billfold. As thus specificallyconstructed and attached, the. tabs Gand G produce an apprecableoverhang which. correspondingly restricts theentrance-to the billpocket, At a slight sacrifice in corner strength this objection can beovercome as illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 in which the incision]? ateach end is so'disposed that the corresponding tab G reaches clear tothe extreme upper'corn'er of the'ou-ter layer but does not extendappreciably along the top edge thereof.

In order to span the gap between the left and right sections of theinner and intermediate layers and thus completethe closure of the billpockct abridge-piece H is provided, being preferably aseparate membercf"leather, positioned by the spaced-apart sections and extending acrossthe hinge line w, and preferably being long enough to extend well withinthe two facing inner pockets, a-s shown in Fig. 3,-partly indotted-lines, and in Figshiand 5. For example, the bridge-piece at itsrighthand end may be attached or stitched 'to the section C" before thebillfold is peripherally seamed, and its left-hand end may be extendedslidingly within thepocket between sections 3 and C, thusto adapt itselfto opening and closing movements.

A specific preferred arrangement isthat While the'bridge-piece Hisbehind theinner layer sections BB, it is disposed in front of theupstanding tongue E of the inner layer, thus concealing the tongue. Asseen in Figs. 1 to 3 the slots or recesses E, E" of the inner layerbetween the tongue E! and the adjacent sections are preferablyterminated slightly short of the lower foldline 1/; so that thebridge-\piece, passing through these two slots, in front of the tonguebut behind the sections, is positioned with its lower edge slightlyabove the lower edgeor foldline y of the billfold. Stated otherwise,the'ton'gue is tucked beneath the bridging element and the latter iskept above the bottom edge, which thus presents a sightly finishedappearance, along the foldline 1/, extending the entire length of thebillfold.

As appears on the drawing the upstanding tongue E which straddles thehinge line is afforded and defined by the slits E", E in the innerlayer, these slits terminating well short of the fold line y between theouter and inner layers A and B, thus to leave (an uninterruptedlower'marof substantial width'of inner'layer for'the'entire'length ofthe billfold, thus affording a lower edge finish without interruptionfrom end to'end.

Further features illustrated on the drawings comprise anextra orattached'interior pocket J, iownin-Figs. '3, i and 5, consisting of apiece of leather stitched around three sides-upon one of the secondlayer sections B or B, for example the lefthand'section B, such a pocketbeing useful tocarry tickets or similar smallfiat articles, and thepocket preferably opening toward the hinge for greater safety of itscontents. Figs. Band 4 aiso show'the innerpocket between the righthandsections B and C as occupied by a small article X which may 'be'in thenatureof an index or booklet, or a miniature case with'inside pockets ofits own for carrying business cards and the like; If desired the main,long or bill pocket may be subdivided-into two compartments-in a wellknown manner, for example by inserting or securing within the'pocket aninside wall or divider so that for-example billsof large denominationmay be segregatedfrom others; and such divider wallconstruction may beprovided ana- 'logouslyto the divider'wall Dshown-in theeprior patent ofStanley No. 2-,328,40Q of August 31, 1943.

There have thusbeen described representative embodiments of the presentinvention, and the several features-thereof; but-since many matters ofcombination, construction, arrangement and design may be variouslymodified without departfrom the novel-principles, it is-not intended tolimit theinvention te-such matters except to the extent set forth inthe-appended claim.

What-is claimed is A billfoldhaving left and right halves foldabletogether aboutacentral vertical hinge line, and consisting essentiallyof three, connected layers formed froma'single fiat blank,'andcharacterized as follows;.the'first or outer layer beingof the fulllength and vertical-width of the billfold; the second or'inner layerbeing an upfoldedpart the blank "contiguousto the outer layer-andcomprising spaced-apart left and-right end sections ea'cliterminatingshorttof the central hinge line'and'comprising'alsoat the lower middlebetweensaid end sections an upstanding tongue straddling :the' hingeline, whereby said inner layer'endsebtionsand tongue in cooperationwiththe outer layerzpreserit a continuous finished bottom edge orlfoldfsaidic'entral :tongiie being defined by slits-in? the inner layer 'ext'ending ;doiwnwardly between the end "sectionsand tongue butitermiriat'ingwell short 'of thefold line between the outer and inner layers therebyto leave an uninterrupted lower margin of substantial width of innerlayer; the third or intermediate layer being a part of the blankcontiguous to the inner layer and comprising spaced-apart and downfoldedleft and right end sections disposed between the outer and inner layers;together with a longitudinally slidable bridge wall extending across thehinge line behind the left and right sections of the inner layer butthrough such slots and in front of and concealing the said upstandingtongue, said bridge wall being attached at one end only to one of thewalls between which it lies and spanning the gap between such left andright end sections, and slidable at its unattached other end with theopening and closing of the billfold; such arrangement of layers beingend-closed by edge stitching through the ends of the outer and innerlayers and said outer and intermediate layers providing anupwardlyopening full length bill pocket the inner side of which iscentrally closed by said bridge layer; and said billfold being furthercharacterized in that the third or intermediate layer at the outer endof each section is formed with an incision extending from an end edgepoint, which is located below the foldline between the intermediate andinner layers by a distance equal to the width of the exposed top marginof the outer layer, to a point on said foldline which is located 6somewhat inwardly from the end edge, thereby to form an upstandingcorner tab on said inner section of a size to reach upwardly beyond theinner layer to the extreme upper corner of the outer layer along the endedge thereof and appreciably around the corner for a short distancealong the top edge of the outer layer, and in that the aforesaidend-closing stitching extends upwardly to attach said upstanding tab tothe outer layer along the end and thence around the corner to attach thetab partly to the upper edge of the outer section.

LEOPOLD G. STANLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,209,486 Trollen July 30, 19401,866,618 Buxton July 12, 1932 1,939,761 Buxton Dec. 19, 1933 2,007,469Gardner July 9, 1935 2,176,987 Buxton Oct. 24, 1939 2,291,259 SherwoodJuly 28, 1942 2,294,635 Sherwood Sept. 1, 1942 2,158,913 Bauhaus May 16,1939 2,328,400 Stanley Aug. 31, 1943

